Tag Archive for: Josh Doctson

Since when did running a sub 4.4 40-yard dash guarantee NFL success? It never has and until game outcomes are decided by a straight-line footrace, it never will. The NFL became enamored with speed at the wide receiver position thanks to “Bullet” Bob Hayes.

But for every successful Hayes, an Olympic sprinter turned receiver, there are several draft busts whose perceived talents were overblown thanks to a single, largely meaningless metric. Players like Johnny “Lam” Jones. Troy Williamson. Darius Heyward-Bey.

Why is such a premium placed on speed when it has no direct correlation to production? 40-yard dash time isn’t the catch-all of draft metrics for a wide receiver. So, why do people act like it is?